Well, I'm going to start.
I mean, I loved the film. I interviewed
Ana Lily Amirpour and Kate Hudson the other day before... Wicked
But I just that's why I mean, what I mean, because I was looking across
to in preparation for this interview, I was looking at your career
and the kind of choices you make,
and it's such an eclectic range of projects and roles.
I always find sort of such working, really great filmmakers,
but every character feels a bit different to the last.
I just wondered what kind of inspires your choices?
What makes you think right?
That's that's one for me.
It just has to be something I've never even heard of before.
I just need a surprise.
Like, you know, every every script that I read
comes in the same format as a PDF find it very interesting.
The process by which we receive these things in email form.
I see my agent's name and I see like,
you know, self tape of whatever it might be.
And then the name just in black capital letters
and you take something from that, then you open the email up
and it says some more information.
Then you have the PDF when you open that up and then you know, everything kind of
all of these different
kind of sensory things happen that inform you.
I kind of just let
I just kind of decipher with my instincts and with my gut
rather than too much intelligence because I haven't got too much of that.
And so it's basically like
listen to the instincts and say, like, how does this feel?
Does this feel like a surprise?
Does this feel like something I've never seen before
or had the chance to do before?
And like, I really want to get better, man.
I really want to learn and I want to grow.
And to do that, I just need to do different,
you know, different stuff and challenge myself.
And, I don't know, maybe, maybe like I have considered as well
that part of it is like a deficiency in me that I get bored
and then like always want to do the opposite.
I do.
I finish like even like I'm always like a week before I finish the film.
And I start thinking... oh man, I need to do the opposite now.
If I'm in America, I'm like, I need to go back to Europe.
And if I'm doing studios, I'm like,
I need to get back to independent cinema and you know, and all of that. So
yeah, I just kind of need,
I need to challenge
and I want to surprise
you as well because, you know, ultimately, no offense, but I do this for me,
not so much for you, but I want you guys to
be surprised by me.
So like, I hate the notion of like,
I hate watching, like, boring actors to do the same thing every time.
So I hate the idea that you guys would turn it on and see me trying to tell you
and to see me and be like, Oh, I know exactly what it is.
In fact, my favorite thing, which is I spent
quite a lot recently, is people saying I didn't even realize it was you.
So halfway through, all people saying to me afterwards, I didn't know.
I didn't even know you're in that movie. Who were you?
I said I was the... bloody. ..This person, they go, What?
That was? You say, Yeah, go back and rewatch it.
And you know, that's, that's kind of what I'm aiming for.
And that's about as good a compliment I can get really not knowing.
So if you can't tell you're yeah yeah.
To absorb yourself in the character that much, especially if they know you,
you know, because a lot of the time I'm aware that like my friends and family
isn't all that fun
for them to watch my movies because it's distracting, because it's me, you know?
So every now and then they say to me, You know what?
I forgot it was you.
And I just got lost in it.
And I was crying, I was this, I was that...
So then I think, wow, that's the that's kind of like the greatest compliment.
You know,
it's almost the texture and things that, you know,
can sort of keep you sort of, you know, sort of creatively
and sort of interested in and surprise the audience.
I mean, working with Lily is always going to do that.
She's got such a unique mind that her films reflect that.
I mean, I was I was even reading that.
I was like, she had a clown face paint on during the making of this like what
it was so filmmaker because it because I films
are so distinctive and the world she creates is so distinctive.
They feel like when you step onto her set that you're
stepping into one of her worlds, if that makes sense.
Yes, yeah, yeah. She's psychedelic, man.
I mean, I went on a journey and the journey didn't involve any plants.
You know, it was my journey was entirely sober, man.
I was with her the whole time.
I didn't have one beer in New Orleans.
I didn't have anything.
And I was tripping on creativity
and her vibe and her coolness and how she just doesn't give a fuck,
but she about anything except the story, you know, in the creativity is everything.
And so yeah, it was crazy.
Like, you know, she's got her dog running around on set.
She's got the boombox sometimes she plays
tunes while we're in acting in the scenes.
Imagine that, like, you know, but
the vibe is so strong, I don't think I've ever had to direct to create
an energy and vibe
like her and all of the actors
in the cost felt that.
And I think all of us, if she
picks up the phone, we don't go running
like I will run back
in a heartbeat.
How do I you know, how did you avoid beers in New Orleans?
Oh, those green you know, those little cocktails
I was drinking, those big, tall, green ones.
I called ... I dunno, you know, I'm a bit of a weirdo
when I'm shooting.
Some would say I'm a weirdo when I'm not shooting...
but I'm definitely a weirdo when I'm shooting.
I like I get really disciplined and and I get really focused
and I kind of get lost in it when I get
I don't do any like method stuff
and carry around with me and that sense, but
yeah, I just kind of switch into focus mode,
stay relaxed in other ways
and I don't really like to imbalance myself, you know
what I could gain from going out and partying?
I could lose more from the next day.
Whereas like like I say, like the
to be creative, to be active, to be,
to be in a character
is to be like as present as I can ever be.
I wish I was that present in my normal life.
But, you know,
flow state and all this crazy shit happens just like
like I say psychedelic in itself.
So I avoid the beers by staying fucked up with the creativity.
I mean,
I loved the look of your character.
I'm it's funny because I have I've ever been, like, inspired by a character's
sort of that the fashion sense but courage and taken things into everyday life
and I was this looks quite good on me.
These tattoos look quite okay or this hairstyle and you've kind of
adopted it as Yeah, in everyday life it's all I'm really interested.
Interesting at the beginning,
like I would think about things like that and now I'm like, Hell no.
I'm like, you know, you know, Shakespeare said, know thyself.
And like, I'm hitting 40 next year, dude, I'm a father of three
you know, I'm kind of like, I'm at that place now where, like,
I know what I want to do, and I just want to get on with it.
I want to be a great dad.
I want to be a great actor transitioning to directing at some point, and that's it.
Just be creative and be family and
so in
terms of like my style, you know, I'm like going straight back to
when I was 16 years old and all I wear is like Nikes, tracksuits,
Liverpool kids and baggy vests and t shirts and like, yeah, white vests.
I'm like, I do not, you know,
my characters often look spectacular and cool and stylish.
And, you know, I look like a 16 year old from North London in 1999, you know?
I mean, I'm a yeah.
So so so the answer is no.
But that's the fun of it, you know, to be for this,
you know, to have the amethyst earring and the the little the schoolgirl's choker
and the candy bracelet on my thing and the different rainbow laces
and all the tattoos and all of that, you know, all of the rings.
Although a lot of those rings were mine actually.
So it's kind of like reversed, actually, rather. But
yeah.
Fuzz was also kind of based on
one of my best friends, Ibo, and his style,
because he was the coolest motherfucker I ever knew.
And I was like, I've just been aware throughout
our friendship that I could never I'm just not as cool as him, and that's fine.
And so for this, my challenge was like, All right, I'm
going to take a sprinkle of Ibo and and try and take some of that cool
and see, see if it was just man and
yeah, I think you could tell I'm having a great time.
Yeah.
Well, you know,
it's funny you said kind of like I read because I sort of address enough
so that you can say, I'm just glad I'm so happy now and stuff.
And then I went through
this kind of phase, my own late twenties, where I was trying to wear clothes
that I thought were more adult.
And I've just regressed back and just going, You know,
I just want to wear Air Force says.
And a nice Adidas hoodie,
100%, you know, the
same thing with like even in the career and stuff, it's like,
you know, play the game, grow the hair,
devalue actors, quiff, you know,
save the stubble off shirts, which has up and then it's like once
I've got in the door, I'm like, trousers are back down, tracksuit bottoms on.
I'm going to go to meetings
with the biggest directors in the world wearing tracksuits and Liverpool kids.
Because I'm I realized like what was interesting about
us is our true tastes and passion and
energies.
And so yeah, I want to be myself.
Yeah, I'm quite similar.
I said to be a spurs kit instead of a Liverpool kit, but
I was going to ask too because I mean I just
because I recently was, I used to be famous on Netflix
and I just thought was such a lovely. So I'm not I live in Peckham at the moment.
I'm from North London with kids.
So it's great seeing my sort of the vibrancy of my local area come to life.
Like, Oh yeah, it's such a nice, uncynical story
that we just don't see enough of these days.
It felt it looked like a really lovely shoot.
You might it must be great to be part of a film.
Sometimes you just pop into the world that just they just sort of not preach
that sounds out of them, whatever.
They just breed positivity like this film does. Yeah,
yeah.
100%.
I'd like to the bottom of my heart.
I'm so proud of that movie.
We put so much into it and we really cared.
Like when I do London stuff,
I care in a different way and I'm like scared
for like, people to get it wrong and to interpret it wrong, you know?
I mean, I need.
I needed to be right, man.
I always needed to be right.
But I don't know. There's something about London.
I feel responsibility.
And you feel so good.
You know, the Neurodiverse community worldwide and the reception around
the world
is just so positive, you know?
And the thing is, like, that movie is a lot more like
my kind of normal life and like me than I kind of play a lot of the time.
I always play these like alpha males.
They're like, always know what to say.
We've got this one answer, but in real life, I'm more like Vinny, mate.
I'm like the dickhead who doesn't know what to say, like,
and fumbling my words in less of a screen way around it for me.
And the hair and her makeup is the light and they're everywhere and,
you know, theme music.
So it was wonderful to be able to
to play that character.
And also,
I that's the first time
since Ill Manors, which was my first ever movie.
And even in Ill Manors I kind of still changed my voice a bit.
This is the first time which spoke like me in any movie I've ever done.
I Used to Be Famous.
I was like, You know what I actually said to the director when I met him?
I said, Yeah.
Like I know he listened to a podcast.
I did.
And he said to me, You know, I heard the podcast where you were saying
to see some people just feel nothing.
I say to him, I just want to do a movie in my next album.
I want to rip up London and come north.
And yet, I mean, Rip ripped the real London rather than the crown or,
you know, Guy Ritchie or like, you know, Blues Story or whatever. So
it was.
And then he said to me, I heard you say that and I want you to do that.
And I was like, Oh my God.
And that was the greatest privilege as well.
And when I watch the movie and I hear me mumbling,
mumbling in local slang, I'm like, Yes, I love that.
I mean, they must need subtitles in America,
but that's all good and bright and it's always a pleasure to speech.
I've been out of time.
Yeah. You well I'm hopefully we'll catch up again soon.
Whether forever the next one is. Yeah I hope so.
I look forward to it where I take you.
Have a nice weekend.